“I am certainly encouraged with the identification of Prestwick International and GlaxoSmithKline as enterprise sites in Ayrshire.

“I want to see the jobs created accessible to the whole of Ayrshire well beyond the immediate boundaries of the sites themselves.

“Incentives will be available depending on the characteristics of each site which may include reduced business rates.

“There is also a planning protocol in place with COSLA which will encourage key parties, including developers, local authorities, Scottish Government and Agencies to work together in a streamlined planning process.

“The aim is to have Scotland's Enterprise Areas operational from April.

“Scottish Enterprise and the three Ayrshire councils now need to work closely together and with the Ayrshire business community to maximise the economic value derived from this opportunity.”

And Ayr MSP John Scott believes the news is one of the best pieces of news the Ayrshire economy has received in a long time.

He said: “This is extremely welcome news for Prestwick and its future development and growth in both the jobs and aerospace sector.

“Having extensively lobbied Scottish government ministers to bring favoured business to Prestwick, I am delighted with this announcement.

“It has the potential to being tens of millions of pounds in investment into the Prestwick economy over the coming years and secure a lot of jobs.”

Scottish cabinet secretary, John Swinney, was in Ayrshire on Tuesday morning to make the announcement.

He said: “As a government we are doing all we can to support jobs and create the best possible business conditions to achieve sustainable economic growth for Scotland.

“Enterprise Areas are another means to help us achieve this and form a key part of our government economic strategy.”

Scottish Enterprise managing director of operations, Jim McFarlane, added: “The new Enterprise Area programme is great news for Scotland and will be key to encouraging greater business growth and investment.

“We particularly welcome the focus on manufacturing and anticipate that all the designated areas will offer significant potential to stimulate and deliver new jobs in some of Scotland's leading industry sectors such as renewable energy, life sciences and creative industries.

“Enterprise Area status will further enhance each location's offering and help give a competitive edge in today's current challenging investment environment.”